By Adair Law Jewel and Ron Lansing are the second couple to receive the LSA after the late Tom and Caroline Stoel in 2006. This article is based on archives, writings, and conversations with Jewel and Ron Lansing as well as research and contributions by their children Mark, Alyse, and Annette. Through the conduct of their professional and personal lives, Jewel and Ron Lansing have been the source of education and inspiration for thousands with their contributions in teaching, political office, and their respective written works. Jewel Anne Beck was born in May 1930 to Lars and Julia Beck on the Flathead Reservation in western Montana. She joined two brothers…

By Hon. Peter McKittrick The Hon. Randall L. Dunn will be retiring in January 2017 after 18 years of service as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge. Judge Dunn is known for his service to his colleagues nationally, his tenure on the 9th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP), and his quick wit on the bench. Judge Dunn earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and received his Juris Doctor from Stanford in 1975. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Dunn was a partner in the Portland-based firm Landye Bennett Blumstein. His practice focused on commercial bankruptcy, business transactions, and securities. Judge Dunn brought a wealth of practical experience in both bankruptcy and…

By Mary Anne Anderson, USDCHS board member In Spring 2013, Oregon Benchmarks noted that 114 women had served or were serving as state and federal judges in Oregon. Three years later that number has increased to 137 women who have served (or will begin serving in 2017) in 176 different judicial offices in Oregon. Would it surprise you to learn that only six of the 103 judges that have served on the Oregon Supreme Court in its 150+ year history—and only 12 of the 50 judges to serve on the Oregon Court of Appeals—have been women? Over the past 15 years, the face of the Oregon judiciary has slowly shifted. …

By Stephen Raher, USDCHS board member It was a slowly evolving series of political scandals that captivated the nation. Driven by politics of the post-Reconstruction era and the economics of westward expansion, the star route scandals provided fodder for editorial pages and political wags throughout the early 1880s. Oregon played a small but important role in the narrative of the legal drama that unfolded in Washington, DC. As the United States pursued its policy of “manifest destiny” after the Civil War, one perennial problem in newly occupied territories was reliable mail service. In large swathes of Oregon and other frontier areas, the Post Office Department relied on contractors to transport…

Who We Are

USDCHS is operated by a volunteer group of lawyers, judges, scholars, and lay persons interested in preserving the court’s history. This historical society is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Your membership and donations are appreciated.